The Giving of the Manna
was a practical calendar demonstration
We have already seen how the Exodus from Egypt occurred on the evening of the Fifteenth, in the first month of the year. We also saw that it was the Sabbath of Unleavened Bread. By comparing the Fourth Commandment of Exodus 20:8,11 (which specifies the Sabbath of Creation) to the Fourth Commandment of Deuteronomy 5:12-15 (which references the Sabbath of deliverance from bondage), we saw that the Sabbath of Unleavened Bread was the same day as the Creation Sabbath.
Now we will look at the next month.
And they departed from Aelim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Aelim and Sina; and on the fifteenth day, in the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt, all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron.
We are using the Septuagint for this verse because the punctuation fits the context, as we shall see. The KJV reading is similar, except for the punctuation, which implies that they were traveling on the 15th. The people congregated together on the fifteenth day of the month, and they took that opportunity to complain to Moses about the lack of food. The story continues:
16.10 And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. 16.11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 16.12 I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God. 16.13 And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. 16.14 And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. 16.15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was.
And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. 16.16 This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. 16.17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. 16.18 And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. 16.19 And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. 16.20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. 16.21 And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.
16.22 And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 16.23 And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. 16.24 And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. 16.25 And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field. 16.26 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. 16.27 And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. 16.28 And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? 16.29 See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. 16.30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
The people complained in verse 3. Then in verses 6 and 7 we read:
It specifically said that the quails would come "at even", and that the bread would come the next "morning". The simplest explanation for this is that the day, the fifteenth on the month, was the Sabbath, and that the people were to wait until after sunset before gathering food. (This agrees with the punctuation in the Septuagint, which shows them complaining, not travelling, on the fifteenth.) The quail was given in the evening after the Sabbath had past. The manna was given on the mornings of all the workdays, and twice as much on the Preparation day. These things were done not simply as way of feeding the people but as a lesson and test concerning the calendar:
The Giving of the Manna was a lesson in YHWH's Sabbath law:
- The manna began on the morning of the 16th. (Exodus 16:13-14)
- If people tried to collect extra manna on the 16th to the 20th, it would rot during the night. (Exodus 16:20)
- On the sixth day of the week, there was twice as much manna gathered. (Exodus 16:5, 22)
- On the seventh day, there was no manna, but the manna saved from the previous day was still fresh. (Exodus 16:25-26)
(W = Work day, S = Sabbath)
| W | W | W | W | W | W | S |
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
|
One day's worth of Manna collected in the morning; any attempted to be saved would rot overnight. |
Extra Manna | No Manna | ||||
The Tabernacle was closed for 7 days!
but Sabbath was not affected!
The public consecration of Aaron and his sons was another calendar demonstration. As the march on Jericho would show to the later generation, this event would show the relationship between the New Moon and the Sabbath. The event:
- Began on the New Moon.
- Continued for seven days, in which Aaron and his sons were secluded in the tabernacle, and no one could enter or leave.
- Ended with the congregation attending a public Sabbath meeting, and a glorious manifestation of the presence of YHWH.
The Book of Exodus gives the time of the event.
40.1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 40.2 On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.
Notice that this is to take place on the first day of the month, which is New Moon day. The next ten verses describe the furnishings of the tabernacle, and then the subject changes to the consecration of Aaron and his sons:
Chapter 40 is the last chapter in Exodus, and the story continues in the next book, Leviticus. After some instructions on offerings in the first few chapters, we then see the details of the consecration of Aaron and his sons. (The words shown in boldface below prove that it is the same event.)
8.1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 8.2 Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and a bullock for the sin offering, and two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread; 8.3 And gather thou all the congregation together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 8.4 And Moses did as the LORD commanded him; and the assembly was gathered together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 8.5 And Moses said unto the congregation, This is the thing which the LORD commanded to be done. 8.6 And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water. 8.7 And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith. ... 8.12 And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him. 8.13 And Moses brought Aaron's sons, and put coats upon them, and girded them with girdles, and put bonnets upon them; as the LORD commanded Moses.
Note that this is the same event of Exodus 40:12-14. The part which follows is a demonstration of the sacred calendar.
9.1 And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel; 9.2 And he said unto Aaron, Take thee a young calf for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the LORD. 9.3 And unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, saying, Take ye a kid of the goats for a sin offering; and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt offering; 9.4 Also a bullock and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the LORD; and a meat offering mingled with oil: for to day the LORD will appear unto you. 9.5 And they brought that which Moses commanded before the tabernacle of the congregation: and all the congregation drew near and stood before the LORD. ... 9.23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people.
On the first day of the month, New Moon day, Aaron and his sons were anointed, and they were to "abide at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation day and night seven days". During those seven days, there were no services in the tabernacle. This would not work if they were observing a continuous weekly seven day Sabbath, because the tabernacle would be closed on Sabbath. But they were not - they were observing a calendar which began with the New Moon. Finally, on the eight day of the month, Moses "called Aaron and his sons", and then "all the congregation drew near and stood before the LORD." This shows that the eight day of the month was the Sabbath.
How the Tabernacle was closed for seven days, without affecting the Sabbath.
(NM = New Moon, W = Work day, S = Sabbath)
| NM | W | W | W | W | W | W | S |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Aaron and sons secluded in the Tabernacle for 7 days | Sab. | ||||||
Even More Examples
Saul goes to kill David
but instead, prophesied and rested on the 29th of the month!
In 1 Sam 19:10, Saul is in his house and tries to drive a spear through David. (According to 1 Sam 15:34, Saul's home was Gibeah.) But David escapes, and goes to his own house, and his wife Michal helps him escape through the window. (It does not mention where David's house was, but Saul's soldiers had no problem reaching it at night.)
19.18 So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth. 19.19 And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.
19.20 And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 19.21 And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also.
Verse 19:18 says that David flees to Samuel, who lives in Ramah, then David and Samuel go to Naioth. (Naioth means "houses", and is apparently where the prophets lived in Ramah. Ramah is only 5 miles from Gibeah, although the road between them is rugged.) Then in verse 19, Saul sends men to capture David, but the men meet Samuel and a group of prophets. Saul sends two more groups, and finally he himself goes, and some people tell him that David and Samuel are in Naioth.
19.22 Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they be at Naioth in Ramah. 19.23 And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
19.24 And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?
Verse 23 has Saul himself going to Naioth (where the prophets lived). Then verse 24 describes the incident when he takes off his kingly robes (and / or his armor) and prophesies before Samuel. Saul wants to kill David, but he is constrained to rest on this day, and to be without rank or arms.
I am going to claim that this day, when all the prophesying is happening, and Saul is forced to rest, is the Sabbath, and is the 29th of the month. Now the story shifts to David:
20.1 And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life? 20.2 And he said unto him, God forbid; thou shalt not die .... 20.4 Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee. 20.5 And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even.
20.18 Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty. 20.19 And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel. 20.20 And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark.
While Saul is thus constrained, David flees from Naioth to Jonathan, who presumably is at his father's hometown at Gibeah. This is when David utters his statement "Tomorrow is the New Moon", 1 Sam 20:5. It's Sabbath, the 29th, and what David means is that the New Moon festival is on the 30th, and will continue to the actual New Moon day, which is of course the 1st of the next month. Notice that David will hide for three days, because he knows that the New Moon festival will last for two days.
The next day, Saul wakes up from lying all night on the ground in Naioth. He travels 5 miles to Gibeah to attend the New Moon festival at his house, because he is expected him to be there.
20.24 So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat. 20.25 And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty. 20.26 Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean. 20.27 And it came to pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the month [literally: second day of the New Moon], that David's place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to day?
In 1 Sam 20:24, Saul, Jonathan, and Abner sit at the table; David is missing. It's the 30th of the month, the first day of the New Moon festival. Verse 27 says the next day, when David wasn't there again, Saul becomes very angry. Most English translations say "the second day of the month" but it is actually "second day of the new moon" as can be seen in a literal translation, for example, Young's. The story continues.
20.28 And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem: 20.29 And he said, Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me to be there: and now, if I have found favour in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh not unto the king's table. 20.30 Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, ...
20.33 And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David. 20.34 So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month:[literally: second day of the New Moon] for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.
20.35 And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him. 20.36 And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
Jonathan tells his father in verse 28 that David has gone to attend a sacrifice in Bethlehem with his family. This is possible, because Bethlehem is about 12 miles from Gibeah, and David has over 2 full days to get there and back. David's family would very likely be observing the New Moon. The fact that David has escaped infuriates Saul, who throws a spear at Jonathan, verse 33. This proves to him that Saul really wants to kill David.
Verse 35 says that the next morning, Jonathan heads to the field to shoot arrows and meet David. It is now the 2nd day of the month.
Sabbath on the 29th, followed by a two day New Moon Festival:
- Saul went out to kill David on the 29th, but was constrained to prophesy and rest instead.
- Meanwhile, David fled to Jonathan, and told him that the next day was the New Moon festival. It would be the the first day of a two day festival.
- On the second day of the festival, which is the actual day of the New Moon, Saul becomes angry that David is missing again.
- The next morning, Jonathan met David in the field.
(NM = New Moon, W = Work day, S = Sabbath)
| S | NM | NM | W |
| 29 | 30 | 1 | 2 |
| Sabbath, Saul Rests |
1st day of Feast | Actual NM, 2nd day of Feast | Jonathan shoots arrows |
The Jews fought on the 13th and 14th
and rested on the 15th of the month!
Haman had tricked the King into attacking the Jews on the 13th day of the month, but the King repented and gave the Jews the opportunity to defend themselves, since he could not change the law scheduling the attack.
9.1 Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them ....
9.15 For the Jews that were in Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and slew three hundred men at Shushan; but on the prey they laid not their hand. 9.16 But the other Jews that were in the king's provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand, but they laid not their hands on the prey, 9.17 On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness. 9.18 But the Jews that were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness. 9.19
Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another. 9.20 And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far, 9.21 To stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly,
The 15th day of the month is always the Sabbath. In this case, the king had decreed a battle on the 13th day of the month. The Jews got the victory on that day, and some also fought the next day, the 14th, and also were victorious. They all rested on the 15th, because it was the Sabbath. Mordecai declared the 14th day of the 12th month to be a festival "Purim", and that would continue to the next day.
The cleansing began on the first day
and the priests came out on the 8th of the month!
King Hezekiah instituted reforms to remove the idols that had been placed in the Temple, and to reinstate the Passover.
29.16 And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad into the brook Kidron.
29.17 Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of the LORD: so they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days; and in the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end.
29.18 Then they went in to Hezekiah the king, and said, We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, and the altar of burnt offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the showbread table, with all the vessels thereof.
They started the work of cleansing the Temple on the first day of the first month, which was the New Moon day. On the eighth day, the priests came out of the Temple, onto the porch where they could meet with the people. (The eight day of the month is always the Sabbath.)
Then they would have celebrated Passover on the 14th, and the Sabbath of Unleavened Bread on the 15th. The work of cleansing ceased on the 16th day of the first month, just like the manna ceased on that same day in Joshua 5:12.